Domestic and National Train Will Start Carrying Passengers in Summer

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karismailoğlu met with transportation reporters at the iftar program and answered questions about the agenda. Expressing that the “Transportation 2053 Vision”, which was prepared within the scope of the Transport and Logistics Master Plan, is important for the country administration, Karaismailoğlu said that the problems experienced today should be analyzed well and that the problems that will arise in the coming years should be prepared today and the plans should be made accordingly.

Karaismailoğlu pointed out that the country's potential should be evaluated well with a common mind in the light of today's needs analysis, developing processes, developments in production and employment, and development plans, and explained that years should be planned with this vision.

Emphasizing that master plans are indispensable, which will further activate and help the large investments made in the last 20 years and help the country to prepare for the problems that may be experienced in the coming years, Minister of Transport Karaismailoğlu said, “If the countries do not have master plans, your work will not be of any use. It is necessary to plan them well, integrate them with each other and ensure coordination. “We have invested $20 billion in the last 170 years,” he said. Providing information about the investments made, Karaismailoğlu stated that plans are being prepared against the events that the country will face until 2053. Karaismailoğlu noted that an investment of 2053 billion dollars will be made until 198, and that a railway and communication-based investment period has been entered.

We Have a Target of Lifting Trains Every Hour

Karaismailoğlu, who informed that they will put the Ankara-Sivas YHT Line into service as of the end of this year, said that the Ankara-İzmir YHT Line works are also continuing. Karaismailoğlu stated that the tender problems on the said line have been resolved and the work continues rapidly: “We have a target to open the Ankara-İzmir YHT Line by the end of 2024. Travel time on the Ankara-Istanbul route, which takes 4 hours with YHT, will be shortened by 45 minutes when the tunnels in Bilecik are completed. When those tunnels are opened towards the end of next year, the time will be reduced to approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes. Apart from that, we also increase the flight hours as demand. "We have a goal of removing trains every hour," he said.

Karaismailoğlu, Kapıkule-Çerkezköy-Halkalı Expressing that the works are continuing on the European line, on the one hand, talks continue with Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary on increasing the capacity, and on the other hand, it is aimed to increase the Ro-Ro line from Izmir to Italy and Spain at sea, and from Karasu to the ports of Constanta, Varna, Russia. reported that they have related projects.

Domestic and National Train Test Processes Continuing

Informing that the test processes of the domestic and national train are continuing, Karaismailoğlu stated that the test was carried out up to about 6 thousand kilometers and the certification processes continue. Karaismailoğlu: “Our domestic and national train will start to carry passengers in the estimated summer months and will have a speed of 160 kilometers per hour. On the one hand, the design work of the train, which can reach a speed of 225 kilometers per hour, continues. Now, while we increase our railway line on the one hand, we are also doing very important work on the side of railway vehicles and equipment. As a country that produces its own high-speed train, we are carrying out our projects to run our own trains on our railway line, which will reach 28 thousand kilometers.

The Importance of the Middle Corridor Revealed Much More

Emphasizing that with the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line and Marmaray, they created an uninterrupted flow from Beijing to London, creating an alternative to the North Corridor, Karaismailoğlu stated that they have very important studies for the development of this line. Karaismailoğlu said that apart from the Russia-Ukraine War period, 5 thousand block trains are organized annually from here, and they are working to get a 30 percent share. Karaismailoğlu, who pointed out that the importance of the Middle Corridor became more apparent with the war period, explained that there is a lack of infrastructure there, but they are trying to use the existing line at full capacity.

Stating that there are new tender works that will triple the capacity on the Divriği-Kars-Ahılkelek line, Minister of Transport Karaismailoğlu noted that there are also studies for a separate corridor over Nahçıvan.